Daikaya is no newcomer to DC. In fact, Daikaya has been one of the pioneers of not just the ramen movement in the city but Japanese food beyond ramen and sushi. When they first opened in 2013, DC, was not a “ramen city”! Now 4 years later, the “Daikaya group” comprises Daikaya ramen bar and the upstairs izakaya, Bantam King with chicken ramen, and Haikan with Sapporo style ramen and Japanese small bites. They are each different and provide a unique take at various aspects of Japanese cuisine.

I love love looooovee Shake Shack. I fell in love with the chain years ago when I first tried it in New York. The burgers are my absolute favorite and my usual order is a Shackburger, a fries, and on greedy occasions, a hot dog to add. I’m not going to write about their burgers, because everyone (hopefully) knows that a) they are fantastic b) way higher in quality than pretty much any other “fast food” outlet and c) they are fantastic.

Anyway, so when I found out that they were adding some BBQ inspired items to the menu, I was super excited to try it out.

Pidzza = Pide (Turkish flatbread) + pizza = all sorts of delicious! Pizza with a Turkish flare, the first outpost of Pidzza opened up in Ivy City a few weeks back. Yes, Ivy City is absolutely booming these days!

I never really think of Bethesda as a dining destination and almost never venture out there. But just away from the main Bethesda downtown is Brickside Food and Drink - a sports bar with upscale refined food that had me wondering why I didn’t make the visit earlier!

Chef Matthew Smith has come in and elevated Brickside to a place where “the sport fan and foodie intersect”. Chef Smith, who has previously worked at Wolfgang Puck’s restaurant in Las Vegas, in Italy as the sous chef at critically acclaimed CarneVino, and then moved back to his native Maryland to oversee the kitchen at Baltimore’s Salt Tavern, has really raised the bar on the food at Brickside. I really don’t want to call it “bar food” since it’s so much more than that!

I can’t believe it’s already November! This year has just flown by. Anyway, I’m happy that cool weather is finally here, and along with that comes all the fall flavors. No, NOT thinking about Pumpkin spice lattes – cannot stand those. What I’m going to think about, however, is the delicious new fall additions at Provision 14.

As I mentioned in my previous post where I talked about the Columbus Ale Trail, I really had absolutely no idea what to expect from the dining scene in Columbus (other than the fact that I knew I was going to stuff my face with Jeni’s). And that was mostly due to a complete lack of knowledge about it. I spent 3 days there and my challenge really was not in finding great food, but in not having enough time to try more and having to pick and choose! That being said, we didn’t just eat well, we ate RIDICULOUSLY well.

Indique, formed by the fusion of Indian and Unique, has been a mainstay in Cleveland Park since 2002. They underwent a much needed menu overhaul and I am happy to report that it has come back stronger than ever!

Ottoman Taverna is the latest restaurant by restaurateur Hakan Ilhan in the Mount Vernon triangle neighborhood, where he also runs Alba Osteria and L’Hommage Bistro. Hakan runs over 20 restaurants, eateries, and gourmet markets in the area, but he waited a long time before opening one fashioned after his own Turkish roots. Why, you ask? He wanted to get it right.

What looks like a bagel, feels like a pretzel, and is actually a bread? Enter the “simit” – a sesame crusted bread that is popular in Turkey, and the main attraction at new bakery “Simit and Smith” in Georgetown.

In Turkey, the simits are street food, sold from carts and enjoyed with a cup of tea, and can be enjoyed at any time of the day.

With this glorious spring weather, I can’t help but yearn for drinks on the patio!

The Gibson is one of the best cocktail bars in the city, and its patio is NOW OPEN, making for the best of both worlds! I recently tried a few of the seasonal cocktails at their spring menu unveiling, and can happily say I will be enjoying some spring cocktails on their patio again very soon!